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Two
movies this week.... 4 Dogs Playing Poker & Amelie
4 DOGS PLAYING POKER
Plot Outline: OK, so the movie starts out at this wedding in Buenos
Aries, and this group of five thieves dressed as caterers and guests, lead
by Tim Curry, steal this rare statue from the Argentinian millionaire. They
put the statue on a boat headed for Los Angeles and then all fly back to the
states. It starts off a little slow, a little cliché, but then a very creepy
Forrest Whitaker (does he do anything else?) shows up, looking for the
statue, and cranks the intensity off the scale. He also shoots Tim Curry in
the leg.
Forrest is upset about not having his million dollar statue, and basically
tells he group of thieves "If my statue is not on the boat, you all owe me
one million dollars. If you can't pay me, I'll execute you. Oh...and don't
leave town."
Incidentally, his muscle is played by
a guy from Duran Duran and a guy from the Sex Pistols...
Tim Curry doesn't have much of a
part, and he has even less parts after he tries to run and get's caught. The
four remaining thieves, unsure that the statue is indeed on it's way to LA,
come up with a plan to ensure at least three of them live through the week.
They each take out a million-dollar
life insurance policy (one of the thieves happens to work at a
life-insurance company, and 'back-dates' the false policies). Then they each
draw a card which will decide their fate...one will be killed, one will be
the killer, and no one knows who is who.
The Look And Feel: Shot well, very vivid, very frenetic in parts in
an successful effort to heighten the tension. Some parts move a little slow
and drag on a bit, but when there's action, the action is good.
In Between The Lines: This movie is obviously, on the surface, about
trust and loyalty and friendship and one part love. Underneath I think it
speaks in favor of foresight: think carefully about what kind of life you
lead because eventually it will catch up with you.
Stand Out Performances:
Tim Curry: What can I say? he's Tim Curry. He stands out no matter
what he does.
Balthazar Getty: Remember this kid from Lord of the Flies and Young
Guns 2? He's both stagnated and come a long way...I know that's tough to
swallow but you'll see what I mean. In a way he's that teen-star still
trying to find his place in a grown-up movie, but I think that adds a little
to his character, Julian. He's never quite sure of himself, and quite
frankly, h fucks up big a couple times, costing himself a few million
dollars in insurance money and half a million from Forrest Whitaker.
Forrest Whitaker: Does this guy always twitch this much? He look like
a mean mother fucker the four minutes of screen time he has, but his
introduction is a memorable one as Mr.. Ellington, the man who wants the
statue
Steve Jones and John Taylor: They are inseparable in the movie and
remain so here. They weren't around a whole lot, but they ahd a great
natural chemistry. The characters they play, a couple tough guys working for
Forrest, put off an air of having worked together for a long time, and the
two of them carry it off well. Plus it's a kick to know everyone in the
movie is scared of the bass player from Duran Duran...
Stand Out Scene: Both of these involve Tim Curry, who wasn't around
nearly enough. He dies early, but it still feels like his movie. The first
scene, which is gross, revolves around a black-market doctor removing the
bullet that Forrest put in his leg.
The second scene is far worse: Imagine Tim Curry, hung by a chain in a meat
locker, his feet have been chopped off with a chainsaw and he's been bled to
death. Very gruesome...but cool if you're into that sort of thing.
Overall: The whole life-insurance scam set-up moves a little too fast
to be believable, but if you ignore that, it's actually a decent movie.
Definitely worth the rental price, if for nothing else than to see Tim Curry
with no feet...
Amelie
Plot Summary: So this girl, Amelie, has a very restricted childhood.
Her father is a doctor and won't hug her, won't have any contact with her
outside the monthly physical he gives her. She is not allowed to go to
public or even private school, and most of her childhood is spent isolated
from other children. After her mother's bizarre death, she decides to save
up some money and move out. She eventually grows up, gets a job at a coffee
bar and her own apartment, idly going through life until one small even
changes her life. She uncovers a tin box that had been hidden by a child
that occupied that same apartment forty years before she got there, and she
decides to hunt the man down and return his possessions to him. When she
see's the joy she has caused, she starts trying to help everyone, and she
changes everyone's life but her own. Along the way she falls in love, but
has a hard time coming to terms with it, and at first is to frightened of
rejection to approach the object of her affection. She instead plays games
with poor guy, strings him along, until advice from an old friend shows her
the error in her ways.
In Between The Lines: This movie was about living life. It's about
helping others, but not forgetting to help yourself. Through a narrated
sequence of random events in the movie, we are shown that even small things
can have a huge impact on our lives, even if we don't recognize it for what
it is. Amelie also tells us that not taking the risk is far worse that
taking the risk and failing.
Stand Out Performances: I have to say that I think every actor in
this picture did an outstanding job. Some of the most memorable parts are
those of secondary or even..uh..third...ary...characters...riiiiight.
Anyhow, there were far too many people to list without feeling I still left
out half the movie. Besides, you wouldn't recognize any of the names anyway
Stand Out Scene: My favorites were the talking photograph (you'll
see), the scene of Amelie's mother's death, and the mischief in Collignon's
(the grocer's) apartment.
Overall: It seems like it runs a little long, but it's worth it. I
was a little wary going in, as I;d heard it was a basically a French chick
flick (is there ANYTHING worse?). but such is not the case. It is a story
about love, but it's quirky enough and funny enough to be enjoyed by anyone
smart enough to read the subtitles as they watch the movie and not get
overwhelmed or lost. |
